


Enchanted Forest Publishing House Meets Emma Swan, Novelist Extraordinaire

by perfection_located



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Writing & Publishing, F/F, Tumblr Prompt, Writer AU, omg so gay, slightly meta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4914577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfection_located/pseuds/perfection_located
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina Mills has watched a blonde woman in pajamas stumble into Full Moon Cafe every morning for the past year. She's grown used to the woman, even if she knows nothing about her. </p><p>But Regina is the editor in chief of Enchanted Mills Publishing house, and when the never seen, reclusive E. Swan makes an offer she just can't turn down, her whole life changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Contact and Contracts

**Author's Note:**

> Based loosely off of the prompt from tumblr ' A high end posh coffee shop which rich people go to dressed smartly but every morning as soon as the shop opens, a person stumbles dressed in pajamas, bleary eyed and with bed head. They always get a large hot chocolate and a ridiculous amount of sweet pastries before slumping at a table in the corner. Everyone always gives them weird looks but the server secretly thinks their animal print or striped pajamas are actually kind of cute. What no one knows is that the person is actually a writer who lives in the filthy rich apartments above the coffee shop and likes to finish their all nighters with the sweetness of baked goods and the server on the morning shift.'  
> I hope you like it!!
> 
> ***
> 
> I claim no knowledge of how actually publishing a book works, other than the fact that it is incredibly hard. If anyone is willing to consult, I'd be grateful, but this is tropey fanfiction designed to be unabashedly gay, so I won't be doing all that much research

Regina glanced over at the door when it dinged open and rolled her eyes when ‘The Blonde In The PJs’ stumbled out, looking sleep deprived and possibly drunk. The blonde made a vague gesture at the barista and dragged her way over to the corner booth, collapsing.

‘The Blonde In The PJs’ had been showing up every day at The Full Moon Cafe since it had opened a year ago. She just walked in, ordered with her hands, and collapsed in the corner booth. The barista’s wouldn’t say anything when asked, and no one seemed to know her name. But there she was, every morning, between six and six o’five.

Regina sipped her drink and regarded The Blonde curiously. The woman intrigued her, and if she were perfectly honest, was mildly attractive, messy bun, dark circles, and footie pajamas aside. Regina always wondered where she came from, Full Moon Cafe being a high end establishment, located in the higher end part of town. She had yet to come up with a reasonable explanation.

The blonde received her order just as Regina was leaving, and downed her drink quickly, ripping into a pastry not long after. Regina caught a smile that The Blonde sent at Ruby, the barista, but was unable to hear their conversation. She found herself assessing the zebra striped pajamas The Blonde wore, and she had to admit they were adorable. The woman was practically drowning in them, they were so big.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Regina swung open the door and left the Cafe. 

***

She got a call almost as soon as her patent leather heels hit the sidewalk. 

“Marcus, talk to me,” she demanded. 

“We’ve got an offer from E. Swan,” her assistant blurted, sounding breathless. 

Regina almost froze in the middle of the sidewalk but managed to get into her car to continue her conversation there. “You’ll have to repeat that, Marcus, because I think you just said we got an offer from E. Swan.”

“We did. She sent an email this morning. It was there when I got to my office. You need to get down here right now. She’s available to talk over the phone in half an hour.”

Regina made a noise of assent. “I’ll be there in ten minutes to go over the offer. Be ready.”

She hung up without waiting for an answer.

***

E. Swan was the author of three poetry novels and twenty-seven novels. However, even if one added up the sales from all of those works, the total didn’t even come close to the success of her most recent and ongoing series. The title may not have been inventive, but the writing was. Once Upon A Time, a 4 book series - the fifth was coming out soon - that reinvented fairy tales. It explained the Evil Queen’s motivations, shed new light on Snow White, and had a plethora of queer characters. Mulan ended up with Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood was the wolf and also Belle’s beast, Prince Charming was actually a shepherd, and Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella were all very, very gay for one another. 

E. Swan, had, up until then, refused to appear for any interviews, have any pictures taken, or even reveal their gender. The fact that they wanted to make a deal with a new publishing house worried and excited Regina in equal measures. While Enchanted Books Publishing was fairly large, it was dwarfed by GoldenGate, the company that had published the first four Once Upon A Time books. 

Regina mulled this all over in her head as she rushed to work then up the elevator, tapping her foot impatiently as it traveled to the top floor. When the door opened, she walked quickly and regally into her office, where Marcus was waiting.

“Talk, now,” she demanded.

“Regina, they want us to publish the next Once Upon A Time. I can’t begin to imagine why Swan wants it, but they want us to publish The Dagger. They said they’d explain in more detail the why during the call, but honestly,” Marcus paused. “Regina, this is an amazing deal.” He turned the computer to face her, and Regina skimmed the document.

In return for a promise that they’d never have their identity revealed and that all publicity stunts were cleared with them first, Swan only wanted absurdly low royalty rates and a contract for an unrelated book at an undisclosed time in the future. Regina gaped. This was, well, honestly, it was too good to be true. 

The alarm on Marcus’ phone went, off, telling them it was time for the call. The phone rang right afterwards and Regina hit the button to turn it on speaker, sitting down heavily in her office chair.

“Regina Mills. This is E. Swan, I presume.” She managed to sound calm and collected despite her racing thoughts.

“Hello Miss Mills. Yes, this is Swan. You can call me Emma.”

Regina and Marcus stopped to gape at each other. E. Swan was a woman and her name was Emma. That was more information than the craziest of fanatics had been able to find in the past five years. 

“Well, Miss Swan, I assume you’d like to talk about the deal you’ve sent us,” Regina said, getting back into the conversation.

“I would. If you’re wondering why I’m leaving GoldenGate, it’s because the Editor in Chief is an asshat and my contract only lasted for four books. They won’t sign me back unless I agree to publicity and, quite honestly, I’m done with Robert Gold.”

Regina processed the information. It made sense, but.. “Why such low royalties?”

“I’m nearly a billionaire, Miss Mills, I don’t need more money. Also, if you’ll notice the clause near the end, it says that an equal amount to my royalties is to be donated to any accredited children’s foundation of Enchanted Books’ choice.”

Regina glanced at her computer screen again and jotted down what she saw on her legal pad. “I see, Miss Swan. And these are your only terms?” 

Emma hummed in agreement. “I have another book I’m writing, and as long as I can get a commitment that you’ll publish it, even small scale, we have a deal.”

“I’ll have legal draw up a contract and email it to you. You can either come to my offices or just print it off and send it back, signed and with whatever parts of your manuscript you have complete,” Regina said curtly. “It’s a pleasure to work with you Miss Swan.”

“You as well, Miss Mills. Have a nice day.” 

The line went dead. 

***

An excerpt from chapter one of The Queen and Her Apple

Isadora Suarez was not a kind woman. Most days, she wasn’t even remotely decent. Today was one of those days. 

Luna had disappeared for an entire day and reappeared with her long lost birth mother. Allison. Isadora sneered at the thought and threw back the last of the apple cider in her glass before pouring herself another drink.

The woman was a threat to everything she’d ever built. She was the Savior, capable of breaking the curse. She was capable of taking Luna away. And worst of all, Isadora thought, downing her whole drink in one go and slamming her glass down on her oak desk, the woman was extremely attractive. 

“Hijo de su madre,” Isadora mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. “This is going to be a long night.”

***

Regina received a single email informing her that the contract had been signed and sent from Emma the next day. Beyond that, she had been asked not to contact Miss Swan unless urgent

‘I’m going on a bit of a writing binge,’ Emma wrote. ‘I won’t be available unless absolutely necessary for the next week or so. I’ve sent the first half of my manuscript to you and I’ll be using this time to finish the rest.’

Regina understood, of course. So she filled the next week with reading what parts of the manuscript had been sent to her. It was written in an endearingly loopy scrawl, passages crossed out and words erased again and again. Regina hadn’t read a handwritten manuscript in ages and was intrigued. 

It was amazing. There were, of course, spelling errors and unclear passages and run on sentences, but in all honestly, Regina was amazed. She read avidly when she was out of passages to mark in red ink and notes to scribble in corners, she read it all over again. 

One abnormality in her week was the sudden absence of The Blonde at the Cafe. Regina went there every morning of the weekday and though The Blonde had been there on Monday she’d not shown up any days following. After a weekend of flipping through and rejecting many other manuscripts by budding authors, and marking only one as worthy, Regina made Monday trip to Full Moon, and was surprised when The Blonde stumbled through the door and collapsed in the corner booth. 

She barely had time to make note, however, because Marcus texted her just then to say they’d gotten an email with the entirety of The Dagger, typed up and everything. Regina rushed out immediately. She tried telling herself it was purely out of the need to manage and edit it as to get it back to Emma as soon as possible, but in all honestly the first half had left her wanting and she needed to know how it ended.

Regina finally admitted her excitement halfway through the drive, chuckling when she remembered how she’d cursed when she saw she was approaching the last page. The sexual tension between Isadora and Allison was rising and she was sure they’d been about to kiss, but the chapter had ended. There had been a note scrawled in different ink along the bottom of the last page that had produced something between a groan and a laugh when she’d read it. 

“Sorry to leave you wanting, but you’re my test audience and I do so like cliffhangers.”

***  
Allison and Isadora did not kiss. Luna interrupted the moment, trying to throw her arms around her mother when she saw her standing in the front garden, only to get pushed away by a wave of magic coming from Allison.

“Stay away,” she’d murmured, before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Regina had been disappointed but when she finished the manuscript she realized that it had all been planned out perfectly. So many hints and she’d missed them, though they were now so incredibly obvious looking back. 

“Oh, what a way to end a book, Miss Swan,” she had murmured, scribbling the same thing out on her printed copy of the manuscript. She then combined both halves of The Dagger, placed them carefully in a thin cardboard box - it was far too thick to be fit in a mere envelope - and sent it on it’s way back to Emma Swan.

If only she’d bothered to look at the address a little more closely.


	2. In Which Emma Makes A Friend (Much To Ruby's Joy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry I took so long. School whacked me across the face with work, and even with the extra long weekend i just had, I didn't manage to get it all done. I post these as soon as I finish them, so I don't have a buildup waiting just in case. I hope you guys like it!
> 
> ***
> 
> I claim no knowledge of how actually publishing a book works, other than the fact that it is incredibly hard. If anyone is willing to consult, I'd be grateful, but this is tropey fanfiction designed to be unabashedly gay, so I won't be doing all that much research

Emma hit send on the email and shook out her hands. “Jesus Christ,” she groaned when she caught the time. “It’s six in the morning. If Ruby doesn’t have my order ready...”

She’d been working almost nonstop for the past week. She’d had the book planned for months, of course, and all of it written for weeks. She’d sent what she had edited to Enchanted Forest, but her entire week had been full of editing and rewriting and both metaphorically and literally slamming her head into her desk.

Emma gave herself a once over before heading outside. She was in her dinosaur pajamas, and while they weren’t her favorite, they were comfy and she couldn’t complain. Grown-up clothes were overrated. Her hair was in a messy bun at the nape of her neck and that was good enough for her. 

The blonde writer let herself out through her backdoor and walked quickly around to the front side of Full Moon. She lived in the little apartment right above it. No one but Ruby and Granny knew, but Emma owned the whole building and was the one renting out the space for Full Moon.

Ruby did have her order ready, which was wonderful.

She collapsed in her usual booth and while she waited for her coffee and food, she glanced around the room. There was a couple talking over coffee, a businessman typing away on a computer, and Her. Emma glanced back down at the table. She was the woman in the power suits who was there every day, sipping a black coffee and checking her emails. 

Emma didn’t know who the woman was, only that she exuded power and was unfairly attractive in her sensible pantsuits. Her chest length hair was tied up that morning, leaving a slim neck available for Emma to run her eyes over. 

Suddenly to woman smiled brightly at her screen, a secret sort of satisfied smile, as if something had gone perfectly right. Emma dropped her gaze back to the table as the woman rushed out of the cafe, clearly intent on getting somewhere. ‘Now, where could she be off too?’, Emma wondered. The thought was chased out of her mind when a bear claw and steaming hot cup of hot chocolate were placed in front of her. 

***

An excerpt from The Queen and her Apple

“Kid, c’mon. Your mom’s a bit of a...” Allison paused, trying to find an appropriate adjective, “your  
mom’s not always super nice, but that doesn’t mean she’s the Evil Queen. And trust me, there is no way I’m Snow White’s daughter.”

Luna pointed at the pictures in the story book. “Allison, you have to believe me. Look, Snow White looks just like Caroline. And the Evil Queen looks just like my mom!”

Allison sighed. “Kid, I’ve got to get you to school. We’ll talk about this later.”

***

When Emma got back upstairs she napped for a couple of hours before showering and dressing in her street clothes. She had to go grocery shopping. But first...

Ever since Emma had heard Regina Mills’ voice over the phone, she’d wondered what the woman had looked like. She tried to stay off of the internet when she was on one of her writing binges, but now she could look the woman up.

Typing her name into the search bar brought up a few articles about a small town Mayor and her daughter, which wasn’t what Emma was looking for, so she went to Enchanted Forest Publishing’s website and browsed around trying to find pictures of the higher ups, but nothing came up. Sighing, Emma closed her computer. No way was she going to dig any deeper; she was quickly approaching stalked territory and there was no way she was going there. 

Grabbing her purse and throwing on her trusty leather jacket, Emma bounded down the stairs and into her garage, located in the back corner of Full Moon. Her yellow bug was waiting for her. Even though she could afford a nicer, safer car, the Bug was a reminder of where she had come from. 

The drive to the grocery store was a quick one. Emma wasn’t a particularly healthy eater, but the closest supermarket was an all organic foods store and Emma didn’t mind the food there. 

She usually never had a list in her head, choosing instead to throw whatever looked good into her cart. Her cart was roughly half full with fruit and bread and she was on her way to the ‘unhealthy’ part of the store - mostly dried fruits and popsicles - when someone ran into her from the side. She caught herself on the handle of her cart but still managed to land on her ass. 

The person who had run into her gave an undignified yelp but managed to stay upright. “Sorry!” they exclaimed, and Emma glanced up to get a look at whoever it was she had hit.

Standing sheepishly in front of her was a slim blond, holding a hand out for Emma to take and pushing his thick glasses up with the other. “I’m super sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Emma smiled up and him and took the offered hand, standing quickly. “Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t exactly paying attention either.”

The man looked relieved that she wasn’t mad and held out his hand again, only this time to shake it. “I’m Marcus,” he said, smiling back.

Emma shook his hand. “I’m Emma. Nice to meet you, even if it wasn’t under ideal circumstances.”

“Likewise.” Marcus seemed to take in her slightly ragged appearance, ripped jeans, worn jacket and all. “You’re not the kind of person I tend to see in here.”

Emma was used to those kinds of comments, and Marcus was clearly curious, not judgemental. “That’s probably because I don’t tend to come to places like this. It’s just the closest supermarket and my pantry is running on empty,” she shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

“I can understand that.”

“You don’t exactly seem the type either,” Emma accused playfully. Marcus was in a button up shirt and slacks, tie slightly askew. He looked more like a college intern than a health nut.

“It’s for my boss,” Marcus explained. “She got a crazy new assignment today and she sent me shopping.”

“Those seem like strange job requirements,” Emma said, raising an eyebrow. She had no way of knowing that her raised eyebrow was more hilarious to Marcus than intimidating. He worked for Regina Mills. Those were intimidating eyebrows.

“I’ve done stranger,” Marcus admitted. 

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. And if you can help me find-” Marcus glanced at his list, “heirloom tomatoes, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Oh, those are a few aisles over,” Emma shrugged. “Now start talking.”

The two made friendly chatter all the way to the register, making a small detour to get Emma’s ‘junk’ food. Emma found out that Marcus had planned an entire birthday party, been ordered to go to a strip club with male associates, picked up a cat from the vet and kept said cat at his house for the following week, and held monthly bonfires at his house where all the truly atrocious manuscripts sent into his publishing house were burned. 

“My boss is the Editor in Chief, and I swear she always gets the worst manuscripts. I don’t know how, considering she’s only supposed to get the best, but there are a few other editors who let a little too much slip through the cracks.”

“Which publishing company?” Emma asked, curious. 

“Oh, I’ve told you we burn manuscripts, I can’t go telling you who we are. You might know some of our clients.” Marcus was teasing, but Emma didn’t push anyways. 

“Alright, alright, Mister Cat Sitter slash Strip Club Frequentor slash Bonfire Host, I’ll accept that.”

Their conversation was brought to a halt when they both had to check out and pay, but Marcus waited for Emma. 

“So, Emma, I’d invite you for a cup of coffee, but I’m afraid I have fresh vegetables that belong in my boss’s fridge. Could I get your number?”

Emma almost groaned. Of course, she meets a nice guy, has friendly conversation, and now he wants to ask her out. But Marcus must have seen the frustration dancing across her face because he quickly amended his statement. 

“I meant so we could get together, as friends. Just friends. I have a husband.”

A sigh of relief slipped past Emma’s lips. “Oh thank god. Not that you’re not attractive or anything,” she adds, “but I’m also gay. I mean, single, but definitely gay.”

“Well, now that that’s all cleared up, how about you give me your number, I’ll text you, and we can get together sometime?”

“You, Marcus, have read my mind.”

It turned out Marcus has plenty more on his mind than Emma did. 

***

Emma got a text a few days later asking if she wanted to hang out with Marcus and his husband that weekend. She shot back a quick response in the affirmative, and they worked out the details. 

Ruby nearly had a heart attack when Emma casually mentioned she was going out on Saturday. 

“Oh my god! Emma, you have a date!” she squealed. “Finally!”

“Okay, first of all, you need to stop being so obsessed with my love life. You have your own, thank you very much,” she reminded the taller woman, eyeing the short brunette in a yellow apron across the cafe. ”Second of all, it’s not a date. I’m going to get drinks with a guy I ran into at the supermarket, and his husband.” Emma emphasised the last word, and Ruby’s face fell for half a second before returning to its hundred-megawatt smile. 

“Whatever. You have friends! You’re getting a social life. After five years here you’re actually making friends.“ Ruby paused wiping down Full Moon’s tables for a second to lean over and whisper in Emma’s ear. “Plus, he probably knows some hot women who would fall head over heels for you.”

Emma shoved Ruby away, trying and failing to glare. “Oh, go harass your girlfriend.”

“Maybe I will. At least I can get a kiss out of Lacey.” Ruby flicked Emma with her towel before sashaying away.

Emma wasn’t big on dating, not after her first real relationship had gotten her thrown in jail, and every woman she’d fallen for since was straight or taken. But the prospect of Marcus knowing women who were available and interested was tempting. She decided she wouldn’t say anything unless he did, but if he did, she wouldn’t immediately throw it out the window.

***

Marcus waved Emma down outside a small bar called The Poison Apple. She waved back and walked up. Next to the lanky blond was a slightly shorter, equally good looking, and infinitely more buff man, brown hair tied back and beard neatly trimmed. 

“Emma, I’m glad you could make it!” Marcus greeted, throwing a friendly arm around Emma. “This is Charlie. Charlie, Emma.”

The pair shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Emma. Marcus seemed pretty taken with you.”

Emma fights back a blush. “Nah, that’s just the shock. It’ll wear off soon. I’m not all that impressive.”

“Oh, enough already.” Marcus dragged Emma into the par, Charlie trailing close behind. “I need a drink, and I need to grill you for personal information so we can become each other’s gay best friends.”

Emma didn’t really know what to make of Marcus anymore, but she decided she liked him anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can promise some Emma/Regina interaction next chapter, but only after Marcus makes a fool of himself. Please review!!


	3. Emma Almost Gets A Date (but then the book gets in the way)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. IT'S AND UPDATE!! 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next, but look for a Senior Slide update in the next week or so
> 
> ***
> 
> I claim no knowledge of how actually publishing a book works, other than the fact that it is incredibly hard. If anyone is willing to consult, I'd be grateful, but this is tropey fanfiction designed to be unabashedly gay, so I won't be doing all that much research

“Regina,” Marcus exclaimed on Monday morning, grabbing the woman by the elbow and steering her into her office and to her chair.

Regina narrowed her eyes. Marcus only ever did this when he was about to tell her news that he knew she wouldn’t take well. When she caught sight of the fresh cup of coffee on her desk, she knew it really wasn’t good news. She could only assume it had something to do with Emma Swan, whose manuscript she had sent back the day before.

“Close the door and spit it out, Marcus. We’ve worked together for nearly ten years and known each other much longer. I know when something’s up.”

Marcus sighed dramatically and closed her office door. “Alas, my brilliant plan to put you at ease has failed. Whatever. Anyways, this is good news.”

“Then why did you bring me into my office and buy me a bad-news coffee?” Regina raised an eyebrow, and this time Marcus did shiver.

“I got you a date. Well, sort of. I found someone you’ll like. A lot. Provided you can refrain from being a bitch for like point-two-five seconds.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Her name is Emma Blanchard. I ran into her while I was shopping for you and we got to talking and she came out for drinks with me and Charlie. She’s a writer - I know, I know, but she’s published and had her own publishing deals and this wouldn’t be part of it. Anyways, she loves kids and she’s only like five years younger than you, and she knows what an heirloom tomato is. She’s also super buff, but damn can she rock a dress. The cherry on top?”

Marcus tried pausing for dramatic effect but stopped hastily when all he got in response was an unamused stare. “She’s blonde and single and very, very gay. She also has a thing for women in pantsuits. No joke, she said that. I mean, it was after like three shots, but c’mon. I showed her an old picture of you, and it just sort of spilled out”

“Marcus Reginald Johnson, I am not going on a date with a woman you ran into at the supermarket based purely on the fact that she is an available female who knows that an heirloom tomato is.”

Marcus could only be quelled so much by Regina’s stare, and it turned out he’d just reached his maximum quelling limit for the day. “Regina Agatha Mills,” he shot back, “you haven’t gone on a date since Daniel died, and her being single and interested and into pantsuits should be more than enough.”

Marcus paused for a second and took a breath. “Look, Regina, Daniel would at least want you to try again. Can you do that? Can you try again?”

Regina sat quietly for a while, taking in Marcus’ words. It was true, she hadn’t even tried for a relationship since Daniel, and that was over a decade ago. “Okay. Okay, I’ll try. But I refuse to let you send me up on a blind date. Give me her number and I’ll text her.”

“I’ll give it to you tomorrow,” Marcus promised. “You need to give me a chance to warn her that my, and I quote, ‘crazy hot boss lady’ is actually going to at least make an attempt at a date with her. I don’t think she’s had more than a one night stand in ages.”

“Oh, lord help me. I guess neither of us will know what we’re doing, then.”

“Seems like it,” Marcus chuckled, opening the office door and slipping out. His chuckle sounded more like an evil cackle, but Regina convinced herself she was just hearing things.

***

“You’re kidding, right?” Emma asked into the phone. Her hand froze in its twirling of her hair.

“Nope. She wouldn’t let me set up the date itself - did I mention her control issues? - but she agreed to text you and and least try a date,” Marcus explained.

“This is going to be the worst date I have ever been on. I swear.”

“I’ll text you when I send her your number. And for the record, this is definitely the weirdest date I’ve ever set up.”

“Yeah, remind me again why you’re setting up dates for your boss? I mean, I get that you’ve got to strip clubs for her, but isn’t this excessively personal?” Emma bit her lip. This whole thing gave her a weird vibe.

“Well, it probably should be,” Marcus admitted, “but we met in college and she introduced me to my husband with very firm instructions to ask him out, so the way I see it, this is just payback.”

Emma stifled a laugh. “Okay, fine. Can you at least tell me her last name? You’ve neglected to mention it.”

“You’ll have to wait until she texts you. No cheating and looking her up. She is an Editor in Chief, after all, I know you’ll be able to find her online.”

“Whatever,” Emma shrugged, not all that put out. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t find out eventually.

“I’ll see you later, Emma, I’ve got to get going.”

“Alright. Let me know when Boss Lady has my number.”

***

The next morning, Emma got a text from Marcus, just a single sentence.

**_Good luck_ **

Emma chuckled set her phone down. She was nervous for the text; she hazily remembered that the woman she had been shown was extremely attractive, and wanted to meet her in person.

Of course, seven hours later, there was no text. Emma was trying not to freak out. All day, she’d had nothing to do but drink beer and scribble down ideas for her next book. She contemplated  When her doorbell rang she almost jumped out of her socks. She scrambled around for her pants before walking to the door and opening it tentatively.

A postal man was waiting with a small cardboard box and boxy iPhone type device. “Emma Blanchard?” he asked, holding out his device. It was clear she was supposed to sign it.

“That’s me,” Emma said, and signed quickly. The man handed over the box and Emma closed the door on him.

The return address said Enchanted Forest Publishing House, so Emma figured it was her manuscript.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, fist pumping. While getting the manuscript back with all of it’s comments could be disheartening, it also provided Emma’s first real feedback and thrilled her.

Her phone dinged just then and she quickly pulled it out, setting the box down on her table.

It was an unknown number with a New York area code. The text read so formally Emma was confused for a second.

_I assume this is Miss Emma Blanchard. I am Regina Mills. My assistant has given me our number and requested that I give you a chance, romantically speaking. If you could confirm your identity by telling me my assistant’s name, we may begin planning a date._

Emma chuckled at the formality.

**Emma Blanchard speaking. Or writing. Whatever. Marcus is the one who set us up. It’s me, don’t worry. So, you said something about a date?**

Emma tried not to be too terribly formal, but she could tell this woman could not appreciate text speak.

Emma’s legal name was Emma Blanchard. It was how she signed documents and the name on her driver’s license. She’s chosen. E. Swan for her pseudonym because Swan had been her name in the years before Mary Margaret and David had adopted her. She went by Emma Swan with the publishing houses she worked with, and she was fairly certain the higher ups at both houses couldn’t be bothered to wonder what the legal department put on the contracts she signed, or what it said on her mailing address. It was easy. No one would connect Emma Blanchard to E. Swan.

Emma’s phone dinged again and she pulled up the text.

_Alfonso’s, 7 pm, Wednesday?_

Emma glanced at the manuscript on her table. Dammit. Her whole week would be filled with writing and rewriting and emailing the Editor about criticisms. She’d be lucky if she was done by Friday evening, and that was is she worked her ass of with no breaks, which she planned on. There was a deadline to meet and no time to waste.

**Sorry, I’m booked this week. Work is crazy. I know it sounds like an excuse but my editor needs my manuscript back ASAP. Can I take you out Sunday night?**

Emma hit send with a cringe. It sounded like she was making excuses, but quite honestly, she had no time to spare. Even if she could carve out time for a date, she’d be stressed and look like shit.

_We’ll see, Miss Blanchard. Send me a text on Saturday and I might grant your request._

Emma laughed out loud when she read that. She couldn’t help shooting back a snarky reply before shutting off her phone. She needed a few hours of solid shuteye and then she had to get to work on her story.

**It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty. You shall receive my missive come Saturday, humbly requesting your presence.**

Emma’s phone was completely off before she had a chance to receive a reply.

***

Of course, at three thirty in the morning, halfway into her third pot of coffee and only six chapters into typing it all up, it hit her.

_Regina Mills. Editor in Chief._

_Shit_

Emma pulled up an email from Enchanted Forest. It was signed Regina Mills, Editor in Chief. With shaking fingers she clicked her way to an email from Regina’s assistant. Marcus Johnson, Chief Assistant.

The Marcus she’s gone for drinks with worked at Enchanted Forest. The Regina Mills she was going to try and date was the same Regina Mills who was editing her book.

_Fuck_

  
Emma slammed her head down on her desk and groaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cackle  
> Please review, it's my life.  
> -p_l


End file.
